Scraps: White Wings
by Uskius
Summary: In Soul Society, Gozu and Goro are two inseparable siblings who aspire to become Soul Reapers. But when an ancient rule of the Gotei 13 comes to light, they will be forced with a painful decision.
1. Chapter 1

I couldn't live without her, anyways. Hmm? Oh hi there- well, several things happen before that part, so let me go back a little ways.

See, my sister and I- she's important in this story, too- were always inseparable, even as young orphans out in Rukongai. Our little adventures through the districts helped us learn lots of things, but number one was Stick Together. Goro- that's her, my sister- was more fragile back then, so I had to do a lot of protecting; fighting away bullies and wild animals, and buying food. Only now I realize how much Goro took care of me back then: she was the smart one, and made the decisions Big Brother was too busy for, the ones that kept us both safe when I was tired.

I mentioned we were orphans. The time came, when we left for the Court of Pure Souls, when we began to doubt if we were related by blood. We had been raised together, and had the same mousy brown hair. We even liked the same foods, mostly, except Goro had a liking for bean paste, which I couldn't stand. And then, as I looked to her before the gates, I knew we were family. I had always known inside there was something about this girl that said, "sister, trust" and I decided to hold on to that. She looked to me then, and gave me one of her smiles- a beautiful thing like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. She gave me a pat on the shoulder and looked into my eyes, her own brown eyes soft and certain. "Ready, big brother?"

I couldn't help but smile back. "Ready, little sister."

~oOo~

I'll start around where my brother Gozu left off, alright? So, with our papers in hand, we set off for the Soul Reaper Academy. I naturally have always wanted to just do everything he does, so when he talked of trying out to become a Soul Reaper I knew I would too. Heh, Gozu always seemed to be in a fight back in our younger days; rolling up a cloud of dirt in the street punching and scratching. I fought too: the other girls were so stupid I thought, and someone had to knock some sense into them. I tried to be lady-like but that was hard when the other girls lacked common sense, and the guys too, but Gozu usually took care of them for me. Said I was fragile. I never argued that, we both knew I was small and a bit thin. Gozu wasn't the biggest either, but he was more lean muscle than plain old skinny like me.

We knew the Soul Reapers did a lot to protect, and I think that was the first thing that drew us to them. What with Aizen and transporting that town here, I knew they weren't as cold as some people said they were. An entire town they held here, to keep it safe! Gozu didn't let me get too close, the meanie.

Then there was the war with the Vandenreich. Soul Reapers were reported to have raided some of the districts on killing sprees, but I was so terrified of the Vandenreich I just wanted to get away from the violence. I did, phew. And after that, I think, was when Gozu first got the idea of going to the Academy.

So there we were, in line with all the others. Sons and daughters of noblemen, hardened outlaws from the rougher districts of Rukongai, a wide variety of people showed up for enrollment. The thing I remember most about being in line was all the different smells: the high and mighty perfumes and colognes of the nobles, and the sharp sweat and dirt smells of people from less affluent districts, all mixing together. It was a nasal symphony of glory and pain. I could barely catch my brother's scent, strong and familiar, but it was there.

After what seemed like an eternity but was really only around half an hour we made it to the front of the line. There was an official and serious looking man who looked at us expectantly. "Papers." Not even a question. So, Gozu and I looked at each other and handed them over, and the man glanced over them before speaking again. "Entrance exam is in the courtyard around back." Looking at each other once more, we stepped off towards the examination.

~oOo~

The examination was a breeze. Literally, there was a nice little wind that gusted through every now and then, and in any case Goro and I had come prepared. Basic fitness test? We had always been active, whether wrestling with each other or the rest of the boys and girls in the orphanage or on the run during our Rukongai adventures. Basic swordsmanship proficiency? I'll just say I learned that the hard way, so passing was easy enough; and besides I sparred with Goro in preparation. And forming a globe of spiritual energy? Well, my sister and I knew this was necessary for spells, which some Soul Reapers were known to use, so after much effort to our delight we discovered we had enough spiritual energy to do so.

This was the last part of the evaluation, so there were few people left when we passed. We stood shoulder to shoulder looking over the rest of the crowd. This third part seemed to be the one that the most failed, as while plenty of people were incredibly fit fighters only a few here and there had the control over their spiritual energy to complement this. Some had the look of nobles, refined features and dignity; some looked to have fought their way up from the back alleys; and some reminded me of my sister: gentle and unassuming with a lithe frame they held up with quiet confidence. Speaking of my sister, I'd noticed a large percentage of those passed were attractive females. Long flowing hair or more disciplined locks, buxom or not, they all had a certain quality to them that was intriguing.

A couple hours later and the rest of the line had gone through the exam, and now about forty-two people stood waiting in the courtyard. The man who took our registration papers now came out to the courtyard and raised his hand for silence. "I would like to quickly congratulate you all on making it into Shino Academy. As you can see by the number of you standing here with me, this is not so easily done. And now that you have proven yourselves, even more will be expected- from the best, we expect the best. We also expect teamwork, dedication, and discipline. Now, the dorms are over to my left there, men's up the hall and women's down. Get some sleep, because you'll need it for your classes tomorrow morning." With a curt nod, the man turned and walked away.

A couple yards to our side a tall and lean man with short fuzzy hair, a few days of stubble and brown eyes looked over. "Well," He began with a genuine and disturbing smile, "Looks like things are going to be pretty interesting."


	2. Chapter 2

So Gozu told you about our registration, huh? I'm sure he left out a few things, but I don't remember it too well. There was the stern man who we later learned was the instructor who gave the little congratulations speech, and then there was the guy standing near us who said it looked like things were going to get interesting. His body language wasn't threatening at all but these little things about him warned "Danger!": the long, thin scar on his bicep that couldn't have come from anything but a blade, the faint scars on his knuckles, bags under his alert eyes, and his careless posture in the presence of so many gifted fighters. I remember he wore this dirty gray sleeveless gi top, ragged and loose. I instinctively edged behind Gozu as they talked. The two seemed to get along okay, and I heard him introduce himself as Renji Fudo.

I also remember that night for being my first away from Gozu. Never being too rich, we had always shared a bed to save on money and space. It was wonderful to have him around on cold nights and during thunderstorms. Yeah, I get scared during thunderstorms. So what? Ahem.

In the morning, we had our first classes. Though I tried to look interested in my the others, the classes that stood out most to me were the unarmed and swordsmanship classes. The movements were clean and pure, not like the rough things I was used to practicing. I saw Gozu was pleasantly surprised too, and he took to the movements like a duck to water- lots of flapping and quacking noises, I think he was flustered trying to impress someone. Me? No, he couldn't, he'd have known better.


End file.
